Monthly Flavors for August – Light it Up!
August is here, and it is HOT! Here in the Bay Area we are dealing with heat waves, and I am about ready to melt.
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October is the spookiest month, as everyone knows. I love Halloween, personally. I loved it as a kid, I still love it as an adult! I think it is great that I can dress up in silly costumes and show off a favorite character, and seeing all the creative things others come up with is always so much fun. And, of course, the candy. I would go trick-or-treating twice growing up. My neighborhood was quite rural, so we had a sign up for houses that wanted to participate the weekend before Halloween, and kids would get driven around in trucks to bombard each house. Then on Halloween night itself, I would go with some friends in their neighborhoods. It was always so fun, and so sugar fueled.
I decided to make some classic Halloween candies this month. I tried to stay as true to the original as I could, while making some small adjustments (Heath and Reese’s, looking at you). This was a pretty difficult one, and I hope I did young me proud!
Vanilla Caramel with Chocolate Nougat
Milky Way was always a favorite for me. I loved the texture of the nougat, and have always been a sucker for anything with caramel in it. I can’t get the texture exactly the same, but I do love the soft and chewy chocolate nougat in this chocolate! My caramel is also darker than a traditional candy bar, so there is a lovely hint of bitterness. I see stars while eating these, for sure!
Almond Caramel with Almond English Toffee
I think Heath was the first toffee I was introduced to. I adored the texture, the crunch and the way it sticks to your teeth. Also, I never knew until doing research for this month that Heath bars have almonds! I figured I couldn’t make an entire chocolate out of purely toffee or it would break teeth. So, I made an almond caramel that tastes shockingly similar to the disc of toffee in the middle! You get the lovely crunch, with all the buttery caramel flavors and a light almond finish.
Toasted Almonds with Coconut Filling
Almond Joys were one of the Halloween goodies I was more than happy to pawn off to my parents. I never liked the coconut filling taste or how sweet it was, and the almonds seemed like an afterthought. I didn’t know any kids who did like them, so they were either trash or the parents’ treats. I can’t say that I ever really developed a love for Almond Joy, but I do appreciate coconut now. This coconut filling is pretty similar to a coconut macaroon, with deeply toasted almonds. If this is what Almond Joy was growing up, maybe I would have appreciated them more!
Puffed Rice with Vanilla Caramel
The 100 Grand Bar was often overlooked, in my opinion. It was considered a kinda lame choice by my friends, but I always though they were pretty great. You get crunchy puffed rice and a bunch of caramel. What’s not to like? The puffed rice here is coated in milk chocolate to bring extra sweetness and to keep them crisp, and the caramel is a bit bitter and luscious. I think it is at least twice as good as the original, at half the size!
Peanut Butter Cup
Reese’s are such a quintessential Halloween candy. They are a favorite all over the US, and their simplicity is the key. A light peanut butter filling, milk chocolate coating, that’s it. To recreate it, I made peanut butter with beautifully toasted peanuts, and made a paste with sugar syrup (not unlike a meringue or nougat technique). The result is a peanut butter filling that is a little toothy, but melts away in your mouth. I tempered my milk chocolate, unlike Reese’s cups are normally. I like having a little snap and texture to the chocolate instead of just soft melty chocolate.
Mint Filling
An unusual choice, but I was always excited for the occasional Peppermint Patty to end up in my Halloween haul. I have always loved dark chocolate and mint, and these were so melty and fresh! It felt grown up to be eating them since they weren’t as sweet as other candies. Also, they were dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate which was controversial as a kid to enjoy. These are minty, light, and melt into your mouth like a dream.
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Obviously one of the spookiest body parts, these eye sugar cookies are sure to make you scream (with delight)! With mixed essence to give pear and spice flavors, they are lovely for the fall. Just keep an eye on them or they will be gone before you know it!
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While I do love banana bread, this cake recipe is a fun and new way to use up overripe bananas. Even after mixing in chunks of date and toasted sesame, the cake is lighter than banana bread with a lovely tahini flavor. Coated in caramelia chocolate to give a little extra sweetness, these are sure to be a crowd pleaser (even if the crowd is just you)!
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August is here, and it is HOT! Here in the Bay Area we are dealing with heat waves, and I am about ready to melt.